


Cutting Edge

by abriata



Category: Social Network (2010)
Genre: Caning, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-07
Updated: 2012-01-07
Packaged: 2017-10-29 05:42:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/316423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abriata/pseuds/abriata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first toy Mark ever bought himself was a butt plug. The second toy was a thin cane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cutting Edge

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Острая грань](https://archiveofourown.org/works/650477) by [elinorwise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elinorwise/pseuds/elinorwise)



> For Casey.

The first toy Mark ever bought himself was a butt plug. The second toy was a thin cane.

It was easier to convince your partner(s) to do something when you already had the necessary props handy, after all. He actually never had much trouble getting people to hurt him. There wasn't a shortage of people who were willing to hit him once he'd insulted them a few times. And Mark really likes the cane - the way it feels, the way nobody shies away from using it, the marks it leaves behind - so it was the sensible investment.

However, Eduardo has a problem with it. He says it feels too impersonal, too ritualistic, too harsh, too unpredictable, too any excuse he can think of when Mark brings it up. In the spirit of fairness, it's not the cane Eduardo has a problem with, specifically. He has a problem with causing that level of pain to begin with. But since that pain is really what Mark wants, they're at an impasse.

And in Eduardo's defense, he's been getting better about trusting Mark knows what he wants. Mark is just an impatient person, and he's tired of waiting.

\---

Eduardo is big on talking about these things. Mark is terrible at it. So while Mark knows Eduardo would prefer open lines of communication - a stupid phrase Mark suspects he picked up from a self-help book somewhere - Mark decides to approach the issue more indirectly.

He has to find the porn first. It's difficult to find caning porn that isn't schoolgirl fantasies and/or terribly made. He also has to stay away from the more extreme videos, some of which contain enough blood and tears they almost turn _Mark_ off the whole enterprise. Snot on a girl's face in the middle of sex is just not something he or Eduardo find attractive.

Eventually he finds and saves a couple promising videos, and a folder of pictures, of which he kept the most artistic ones, because Eduardo likes those and actually has folders of his own favorites - rope, toys, scratches, bite marks, mostly. He always gets embarrassed when Mark looks through them; he says it's too revealing.

Mark leaves the folder of caning pics on the desktop, innocuously titled "New DLs." The video file sits next to it with the stock name of random numbers and letters.

The video is one of Mark's favorites - it has a pale girl being topped by a darker guy, slowly and thoroughly, until she's limp and blissed out. It's basically everything Mark wants, in other words, except for the small exception of the actress's gender, but he's willing to suffer a few indignities to get what he wants.

When almost a week has passed and Eduardo still hasn't mentioned it, Mark gives him a virus. He attaches it to an email he forwards Eduardo from Dustin, one of those chain messages that are always infected. It's a relatively harmless virus - it just gives Eduardo porn pop ups once in a while, all from carefully-chosen sites which prominently feature spanking, paddling, and caning.

Eduardo brings his computer to Mark three days later and asks him to fix it, which Mark does without comment.

Since Eduardo seems determined not to get the hint, Mark decides on a more direct tactic.

Fridays Mark gets home earlier than Eduardo. He likes to get home first, just sometimes, and though he's usually still working, he's always there before Eduardo on Fridays, because Eduardo keeps the same schedule at the end of the week as he does at the beginning.

The next Friday Mark takes advantage of this, getting home mid-afternoon and setting his computer - and associated porn - up on the television in their bedroom. He has no intention of just watching porn and waiting for Eduardo to get home, so he grabs an extra laptop to work on.

The porn is really distracting, though. He ignores it fairly successfully for the first hour or so, but it's forty inches high and seven feet away and it's difficult to maintain that level of indifference, even when he has the sound muted. It creeps closer to five, and Eduardo won't be home until six, so Mark finally gives up and pushes his computer to the side, unzipping his jeans and dragging his cock out.

It's hard and a little wet but he just holds it at first, clicking through the video loops until he finds the favorite one. He skips the beginning, which is some pathetic storyline he's never watched, and pushes play when the guy has the girl kiss the cane and then pull off her jeans and underwear before leaning over the bed.

She pulls her shirt off, too, despite the fact that the guy never instructed her to do so. The trespass gets her the first smack, a quick switch against her rear that makes her jump and squeal.

Then she stretches out and holds still, and Mark starts to stroke his cock slowly as the first strikes land across her ass. Each one leaves a mark, and she doesn't squirm at first, so they're evenly spaced and beautiful. The guy finishes with her ass, pausing long enough to move her all the way onto the bed. Mark thumbs over the head of his cock and settles further into the pillows, sliding down and sprawling his legs open.

When the girl is repositioned, the guy rubs his hand over her ass. She squirms for the first time, making a breathy noise. The guy slaps her ass a couple of times, the skin flushing pink underneath the angry red welts. Mark moans with her, swearing under his breath, and then the guy picks the cane back up and starts on her back.

He starts gently, soft swishing strokes across her upper back and shoulders. She makes quiet noises, and when the guy starts to overlay the previous hits she wiggles, stretching. He spanks her for it with her other hand. Mark tightens his fist, panting, and pushes his hips up.

"Oh," Eduardo says from the doorway.

Mark sucks in a breath, going still. "You're early," he says.

"Yeah," Eduardo says, voice rough. "Don't let me interrupt."

Mark swallows hard. The porn is still going, the slap of the cane and the girl's moans getting slowly, progressively louder. Eduardo steps into the room. He doesn't even glance at the TV. "Keep going."

Mark looks back at the screen, stroking again slowly. Most of his attention is on Eduardo as he takes his jacket off and comes to sit on the edge of the bed. "Keep going, Mark," Eduardo repeats, voice low.

The video is almost over. The guy is done with the cane, and he's straddling the girl's ass, saying dirty things in her ear as he digs his fingers into the welts on her shoulders. She's making quiet whining noises.

Eduardo's hand touches the back of Mark's neck and Mark shudders hard, closing his eyes. The rest of the video is boring - just the guy eating the girl out as she kicks her feet and the camera pans down her back, the dark red welts just starting to turn purple.

Eduardo touches his shoulders, just the areas he can reach and only over Mark's t-shirt, but Mark imagines he was the girl, pretends his whole back is marked up and Eduardo's touching his bruises. He comes into his fist, shaking, and hears Eduardo groan quietly.

The TV moves on to the next clip, but Eduardo fumbles the remote out from under Mark and clicks it off, leaving the room quiet except for Mark's fast breath. Mark keeps his eyes closed while he redoes his pants.

"I was worried my computer was going to explode next," Eduardo says. he clears his throat and his hand leaves Mark's shoulder. "You know, since the virus didn't work for you."

Mark smiles a little. "I wondered if you'd gotten it."

"Yeah," Eduardo says. "It was a little hard to miss. I prefer this method, though."

"I was going to wait for you," Mark says. "Blow you while it was on in the background."

"You got impatient," Eduardo says.

Mark shrugs.

"You really like it that much?" Eduardo asks.

"Yes," Mark says. "Is there anything I could possibly do to make that more clear to you?"

"Okay," Eduardo says. "You could still do that. The blowjob."

"Come here," Mark says, stretching and reaching for Eduardo's belt.

\---

It gets left alone until the next weekend. Mark is going to start leaving the cane out on the bed, but Saturday, while he's watching the news, Eduardo says, "I just really have a hard time hurting you."

Mark blinks, looking away from his email. "But I want you to."

"I know," Eduardo says.

"I like it," Mark says.

"I _know_ ," Eduardo says. "I really do."

"Okay," Mark says. "How would it be easier for you?"

Eduardo takes a deep breath. "Let's practice. Theoretically."

"Positive reinforcement?" Mark offers, at the same time. "Orgasms."

Eduardo says, "Upstairs it is."

\---

"Role play," Eduardo says, as if the idea were unique or particularly interesting.

"Fine," Mark says. He tugs at the bottom of Eduardo's t-shirt.

"You don't care," Eduardo says. He pulls his shirt off, cooperative.

"No," Mark says.

"What'll the idea be?" Eduardo asks. "You're the misbehaving student, I'm the strict teacher?"

"No," Mark says. He stops to pull off his hoodie and undo his jeans.

"No?" Eduardo asks. He makes a ridiculous face at Mark. "I was thinking it could work. You are the misbehaving type."

"No," Mark repeats. "And you would make a terrible teacher."

"I would not," Eduardo says.

Mark rolls his eyes. "I know talking helps with your nerves," he says, "but there's nothing to be nervous about right now. We're not doing anything."

"Maybe I honestly find this amusing," Eduardo says, grinning at Mark. He's naked and looks ridiculous and is also apparently serious.

"I don't think it's amusing," Mark says. He stands between Eduardo's knees. Eduardo palms his hips. "I don't care how you want to do it, so long as it ends with me on my stomach or knees, in a lot of pain and getting off harder than any other time in my life."

Eduardo swallows hard.

"So we'll figure out what we need to do for that to work for you," Mark says. "Because you are not going to stand in the way of this for me."

"I'm going to beat you whether I like it or not," Eduardo says and smiles a little.

"You can't use a student and teacher fantasy though," Mark says. "That's the only thing I won't cooperate with."

"Something else then," Eduardo says. "Slave boy? Historical. You can be a house slave, or whatever role was most taken advantage of."

"I think Greeks and Romans used whips, though, not canes," Mark says. He gets tired of waiting for Eduardo to work out his fantasy life; he drops to his knees.

"Just something involving servitude," Eduardo says, staring at Mark. He thumbs at Mark's mouth. Mark smirks.

Eduardo's cock is getting hard, arcing up towards his belly. Mark puts his hands on Eduardo's knees. "Tell me," he says, and then takes Eduardo into his mouth.

"Uh," Eduardo says, stuttering. "Maybe you are a slave. It doesn't matter where. You're disobedient all the time, and--" he stops, hissing, and tugs Mark up onto the bed with him. Mark waits until he's done moving and then sucks him down again. He's fully hard now, heavy on Mark's tongue. "And even all the other slaves hate you. But you're my favorite, so we go easy on you."

Mark pulls off, listening to Eduardo groan. "Until one day I go too far."

"Yeah," Eduardo says, licking his lip and looking a little nervous. "So I punish you."

"This is boring," Mark says. "No enthusiasm."

Eduardo's hands are clenched in the bedsheets. "Okay," he says. "You're being very rude."

"I'm trying to be patient," Mark says.

"You're terrible at it," Eduardo complains. "Unless that's the point. Are you trying to--"

Mark wraps his hand around the base of his cock and focuses, trying to get Eduardo off quickly. Eduardo groans and grits out, "Trying to insult me into punishing you. You are, probably. Manipulative asshole. I could understand wanting to hurt you for that."

Mark moans, because it always makes Eduardo clutch at his hair, and because Eduardo sounds serious, now, as if he's actually considering this. Mark wants to give him as much encouragement as possible.

Eduardo does clutch his hair, and he comes down Mark's throat, and Mark swallows and says, "That sounds like it might work."

"Okay," Eduardo says, staring at the ceiling. Mark rubs himself against Eduardo's hip, a reminder, but says, "Okay?"

"Yeah," Eduardo says, while he licks his palm and reaches down to jerk Mark off. "Okay. Let me figure out how to do this and we'll do it."

Mark could come just on the promise alone, but Eduardo's fingering under the head of his cock helps.

\---

Mark, like Eduardo asked, is patient. He doesn't bring it up and they go about life and sex as usual. And then one night Mark is at the dining room table with his computer and Eduardo says quietly, "It's just you." He touches Mark's wrist. "You, like this, are the reason I decide I want to hurt you."

Mark stills.

"You've been ignoring me all evening," Eduardo says. "Maybe all week."

"Yeah?" Mark says.

"Don't talk," Eduardo says sharply.

Mark, after a moment, nods.

"I need to get you away from your computer first," Eduardo says. "And that's hard to do, so when I finally convince you to go upstairs I'm furious with you. You don't even notice."

He nudges Mark gently, and Mark takes the hint.

Eduardo doesn't follow him up immediately. Mark is just starting to worry he's backing out when he appears in the doorway. He sees Mark naked, the cane on the bed, and he takes a slow breath, hesitant. Mark opens his mouth.

"What did I say about talking?" Eduardo says.

Mark shuts his mouth.

Eduardo walks towards him. "You're already naked when I get up here, because you think we're just going to fuck." He pushes Mark back with a hand on his chest, and Mark's legs hit the bed. He sits. "Maybe I tell you we are. Maybe I tell you to lay on your front and you don't see the cane, so it's a surprise when I first start hitting you."

Mark breathes in sharply, making to turn onto his stomach, but Eduardo shakes his head.

"No. That's not right. I want you to know what I'm doing. It feels better when you have to let me hurt you."

It's the first key in the lock. Mark shudders, quick and involuntary. His cock was already half-hard, but it twitches, filling fast. Eduardo notices, and the corner of his mouth quirks up, the sweet smile he always gets when Mark responds to him.

"You're going to let me hurt you," Eduardo says, and leans over slowly and deliberately to grab the cane. Mark shivers again at seeing his hand wrapped around the handle, "because you don't really think I can. You're cocky, you think you can take everything I give to you."

Mark wants to talk. He wants to say he can, he will, there's nothing Eduardo can think of that he can't take, because Eduardo is a pussy, he wouldn't dare actually hurt Mark, he's too cowardly-- but he stops himself, because Eduardo is just coping with this for now.

Still, Eduardo sees his mouth open, the words start to form, and his facade drops. He says, "Mark? Okay?"

Mark says, "I doubt you're going to prove me wrong."

Eduardo frowns for a second, puzzled, and this his expression clears as he understands and drops slowly back into the fantasy. "Lay down, right where you are."

Mark does, slowly. It feels weird, to be stretched out naked with Eduardo clothed and holding a cane. His cock is already leaking against his belly.

"Put your hands out to the side," Eduardo says. "I want to see them."

Mark does as he's told, bemused.

Eduardo says. "They bear the brunt of my anger, because your fingers are always busy, tapping away at your keyboard and allowing you to ignore the rest of the world. Ignore me." He taps the cane gently in the middle of Mark's left palm. Mark blinks up at the ceiling. "I'm really angry with your hands," Eduardo says, and then brings the cane down across Mark's palm.

Mark jumps, swearing, and curls his arm up instinctively. It's stinging and burning hot, and it slowly fades into a warm tingle that he can feel even when he rubs his fingers over the line.

"Put your hand back," Eduardo says, and drags the tip of the cane across Mark's belly. The shaft of it catches on the head of Mark's cock for just a minute, weird cold pressure, and Mark's hips twitch. Eduardo is watching Mark, brow furrowed.

Mark meets Eduardo's eyes and lays his arm straight again.

Eduardo moves to the other palm, tapping it a few times. Mark still can't stop his fingers from grabbing inward.

"Close your eyes," Eduardo says.

The first hit on his right palm feels like a knife slice. Mark doesn't move his arm, but it's difficult. It hurts more than he thought it would - though he'd never thought about this type of caning; trust Eduardo to choose something entirely different - even though he knows Eduardo isn't hitting him very hard.

Eduardo hits his hands a few more times, until Mark can't feel specific lines anymore, just painful sensitive skin and the burn in the pit of his stomach. His cock is wet against his belly.

"You almost believe me," Eduardo says. "But you don't want to admit you were wrong, so you'll see all of this through."

Mark nods, automatic, and Eduardo laughs a little. He sounds less tense, and Mark relaxes completely into the bed, hissing as the strikes on his hands get harder.

"Now get on the floor," Eduardo says, when Mark starts groaning a little, involuntarily. "On your hands and knees."

Their carpet is incredibly nice, but it still hurts like a bitch on Mark's palms. He hisses, shifting, but resettling only increases the friction and makes it hurt worse.

"Hold still," Eduardo says. "I've figured out I can't ruin your hands for typing, but I can make it impossible for you to sit down."

Mark sucks in a breath, and the cane tip drags down his spine.

"Mark," Eduardo says, and this is not his fantasy, "you have to tell me if you need me to stop."

"I won't need you to stop," Mark says, mouth dry. "Please."

"Can you come from this?" Eduardo asks. "Do I--"

"I don't know," Mark says. "But you're going to make me."

"Right," Eduardo says, and breathes out.

There's no warning for the stripe across his ass. Mark jumps, yelping, because it was impossibly hard and sharp and Eduardo didn't pull it at all.

"I'm sorry," Eduardo says, "but I knew you were still expecting me to go easy on you and I just didn't want to conform to expectations," and he hits Mark again.

He spaces them pretty far apart, and each one feels like it's hitting a new patch of skin, unprepared for the pain. Mark twitches each time, no matter how hard he tries not to, and by the tenth strike he doesn't have the concentration to try.

"Now you know I was serious," Eduardo says quietly. "So I've gotten your attention."

Mark moans. His heartbeat throbs everywhere, cock and hands and through every welt forming on his back and ass.

Eduardo starts again, and if Mark were paying attention at all he would laugh at how, as Eduardo gets more comfortable, he gets more creative. But Mark is too busy trying not to fall over as the pain varies, light and stinging to hard and deep, on his back and his sides and his thighs and sometimes so close together he can't breathe in between and sometimes so far apart he wants to whine.

He's swaying slightly, arms wavering, and Eduardo says, "I'm not angry anymore. I'm just hitting you because I want to, now, because you like it even though you shouldn't and because it makes your whole body look like it's mine."

Mark gasps for breath, tries to talk, but Eduardo hits him, just once more, hard and right across his back from his shoulders to his ass, and every nerve there, already aching, flares up. Mark comes, and it's probably the orgasm that makes his arms go out, but the shriek of pain from his palms as his hands slide across the carpet make it feel like it goes on forever, sparking up his spine and his head fuzzing.

Eduardo drops the cane onto the carpet and drops to his knees next to him. He says, "Mark," quiet and repetitive, until Mark groans and curls onto his side, forcing his eyes open.

"Okay?" Eduardo asks. His hands hover over Mark's ribs, like now he's afraid to touch.

"Hmph," Mark says, in lieu of a detailed, considered response.

Eduardo watches him closely but whatever Mark's expression is must be reassuring enough without words, because he grabs Mark's arm and tugs gently until Mark finds the bed and crawls into it. Everything hurts to move, and the bed feels like the most amazing thing ever created.

Mark can hear Eduardo put the cane in the closet, then move around doing God knows what. He finally turns out the light and crawls into bed. Mark is glad to have him close, even if he only lays his hand tentatively on Mark's hip. Eduardo normally attaches like a limpet, stealing heat from naked skin, and Mark wants that, wants to feel Eduardo's skin, scratchy even where smooth, against Mark's bruises and heat.

"Seriously," Eduardo says.

"Thank you," Mark says, and Eduardo sucks in a breath and kisses Mark's forehead silently.

End.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Cutting Edge](https://archiveofourown.org/works/991543) by [looneyngilo2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/looneyngilo2/pseuds/looneyngilo2)




End file.
